Watertown is a city of about 26,780 people in Jefferson County, New York, at 142 m (466 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:25 AM and sets at 6:13 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:33 PM – 6:31 PM. Below are monthly times, sun directions, the best photo locations within 80 km and the nearest dark skies.
Sunrise, sunset & golden hour by month
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:36 AM | 8:21 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 7:04 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 7:17 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:21 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:39 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 5:21 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:25 PM | 15h 28m |
| July | 5:35 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 6:08 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:44 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:19 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:59 AM | 7:43 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 7:32 AM | 8:19 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:00 PM | 8h 55m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Watertown
At Watertown the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 23° in winter.
Best photo spots near Watertown
41 photo locations lie within 80 km of Watertown. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
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Fire Lookouts
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Watertown is estimated at Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Lake Saint Francis, about 179 km (111 mi) away (Bortle 1). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 4.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Saint Francis | Lake | 179 km (111 mi) | 1 |
| Southwick Beach State Park | State Park | 33 km (20 mi) | 2 |
| Chapman Shoal Lighthouse | Lighthouse | 34 km (21 mi) | 2 |
| Stony Point Light | Lighthouse | 35 km (21 mi) | 2 |
| Rock Island Light | Lighthouse | 35 km (22 mi) | 2 |
| Burnham Point State Park | State Park | 36 km (22 mi) | 2 |
| Cape Vincent Light | Lighthouse | 37 km (23 mi) | 2 |
| Wells Island Lighthouse | Lighthouse | 38 km (23 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:57 AM – 5:37 AM | 0.7 | 14° |
| April | 2:53 AM – 4:33 AM | 1.7 | 16° |
| May | 12:58 AM – 3:28 AM | 2.5 | 17° |
| June | 11:14 PM – 2:54 AM | 3.7 | 17° |
| July | 11:00 PM – 1:30 AM | 2.5 | 17° |
| August | 10:02 PM – 11:32 PM | 1.5 | 16° |
| September | 8:55 PM – 9:25 PM | 0.5 | 13° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (84%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.